RECIPE: New potato, pea and feta filo parcels

Advertisement feature in association with Tesco Jersey Royals

Is there anything more spring-like than a huge bowl of Jersey Royal new potatoes, slathered in butter and fresh mint?

I mean sure, there are lambs and primroses and what not, the smell of grass, cut for the first time after winter, but give me a Jersey Royal, butter dripping down my wrist, and I’m a happy woman.

Jersey Royal new potatoes

I didn’t take much persuading then to get on board with creating a spring recipe using Tesco Jersey Royals. In store now until the end of the season in July, Tesco Jersey Royal new potatoes have a heritage that dates back over 140 years. They’re still produced and harvested using traditional methods like planting the seed potatoes by hand and fertilising using seaweed from Jersey beaches.

‘Delicate and nutty’ it says on the bag, which describes most of my ex-boyfriends, so it’s no wonder I like them.

As much as like new potatoes just eaten from a big bowl, straight into my mouth, I thought it might be a bit more appropriate for a blog post to come up with a slightly more flattering use for them. I decided to show you a recipe that’s one of Bee’s favourites – new potatoes, feta, peas and mint in filo pastry.

New potato easy recipes

In the past I’ve made this as one big filo pie, cut into slices and served with vegetables or salad, but I thought it might be fun to try a couple of different shapes, so that you could take the parcels out on picnics or pack them in lunchboxes.

New potato, feta and pea parcels – ingredients

To make your own spring filo parcels you will need:

  • 450g bag of Tesco Jersey Royals
  • 200g packet of feta cheese
  • 200g frozen peas, thawed
  • Handful of fresh mint
  • Packet of ready made filo pastry
  • Butter for brushing – melted
  • Salt and pepper

I would definitely recommend growing your own mint for occasions like this. Mint is VERY easy to grow, (too easy sometimes – keep it in a pot if you don’t want it taking over), and it’s lovely to have on hand to add to recipes.

Filo parcels – method

First up, cook your Jersey Royals. They’ll need to boil for around 20-25 minutes. Drain, and leave to cool until you can bear to touch them, then chop them into chunks and pop them in a bowl. Add the peas, crumble in the feta, tear in some mint and season with salt and pepper. Stir well.

At this point it is very important to resist the urge to eat the lot with a big spoon.

New potatos with feta and peas

Preheat the oven to about 200 degrees, line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper, and then it’s time to make up your parcels.

You can be quite creative at this stage, as filo pastry is so versatile. The important thing to remember is to brush with butter between layers and over the top to help keep everything golden and crispy. You might want to try frilly parcels like these:

Filo pastry parcels

To make them, just layer 2 or 3 sheets of filo pastry (or half sheets for smaller parcels) at angles, making a sort of star shape, add a couple of spoonfuls of filling, and gather all the edges together to make a parcel.

Or you might want to have a go at making triangle shaped parcels like these:

How to make filo pastry triangles

There are plenty of tutorials online showing you how to make filo pastry triangles, but I did mine quite simply, just using one sheet of filo pastry folded in half lengthways, with a brush of butter in between.

I placed a large spoonful of the potato filling in the bottom corner, and then folded in stages to create a triangle shape, brushing with butter as I went. When I got to the end I found I had a centimetre or so of pastry leftover, which I then buttered and folded over to seal the parcel.

How to make filo pastry triangles

How to make filo pastry triangles

Transfer your filo parcels to your lined baking sheets, give everything a final brush with butter, and bake for around 20-25 minutes until everything is golden brown and crispy.

Eat them warm with a salad, sat out in the garden enjoying the spring sunshine, or pack them in a picnic for a day out at the beach.

Tesco Jersey Royals are available in Tesco stores now.

New potato, pea and feta filo parcels

 

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